Mayoral incumbent Fraser Tolmie believes he has helped build a more collaborative city council during the past four years and wants another four years to continue building relational bridges with council and the community.
Tolmie kicked off his re-election campaign at Lions’ Creek Olive Estate on Oct. 1. About 30 people — friends, family, and business owners — packed into the business to hear the first-term mayor discuss his accomplishments since 2016 and his vision if re-elected.
Media scrum
Tolmie has built a more collaborative council since 2016, with that body voting 6-1 on budget issues more often compared to 4-3 votes early on, he told the media after his announcement. One reason that happened is due to listening.
“That’s why I talked about being a bridge-builder and trying to create that dialogue,” he said. “It doesn’t always work, but if you’ve done your part to allow that, the majority has been moving that city forward and we’re very excited about the future.”
Residents can vote for their elected officials, so just as Tolmie did four years ago, he’ll reach out to the new council to engage with them, he stated. This is one way he would attempt to overcome any strong personalities on council.
“(I’m) always looking to improve,” he continued. “If you aren’t critical of yourself, then you’re not progressing yourself. So there’s always growth and development (including reading books on leadership, communications and organizational health).”
Residents should vote for Tolmie since he takes the job seriously and cares about people, he said. He values the trust voters have placed in him while he wants to be a good steward of the mayor’s position and a dedicated servant of the people.
“And to restore honour to politics, we have to recognize that we are servants and that it’s not a position of status,” he added. “I will maintain that for as long as I’m mayor.”
Re-election announcement
Tolmie’s passion and commitment to the community have grown since he first sat in the mayor’s chair four years ago, he said during the conference. His efforts working with council and the community have shown that “together, we are better,” especially since the community was fractured four years ago.
Since then, the cast iron water replacement program has been made more affordable, city hall has become more engaged with residents, communications have grown through the municipal website and phone app, and snow removal has also improved, he pointed out.
Moose Jaw’s economic outlook has also transformed during the past four years, Tolmie continued. Nearly $1 billion in economic development — including the $800 million SaskPower plant, $111 million in building permits, new businesses, and a new joint-use school — have flowed into the community.
“In everything I have done, I have brought to the table my skills as a bridge-builder, a problem-solver and fiscal responsibility,” said Tolmie.
Good leadership is inclusive and brings people together, while it has a shared vision and a plan to get things done, he continued. This requires listening and communicating with all stakeholders respectfully, while it also requires reflecting on information so strong decisions can be made.
During the pandemic, Tolmie and council worked with the chamber of commerce to help the business community, while they also deferred taxes for residents and businesses and ensured a zero-per-cent tax increase in 2020 without cutting core services.
The community has faced the challenges of mental health problems and drug addiction during the past four years, Tolmie said, but under his incumbency, there are now more police and a dedicated police unit to handle mental health-related calls. These additional resources will also help the community address those challenges in the future.
“To build a better community, you need strong community partners, and those strong community partners want to build a better community,” he added. “My announcement today is a culmination of what working tougher can do.”
